America needs to include more daily walking into its schedule. Much more! No one will deny that the automobile is one of the greatest single invention in all of recorded human history. Travel time has been reduced from weeks and months to days, and sometimes hours or minutes, because of it. Yet the problem is that we have become too dependent on it. Motorized transportation has been abused.

People will drive their cars to go to the corner store. And what about the malls? They will literally fight for the opportunity to park as close to the entrance as possible�even if they have to park illegally, or in spots designated for the handicapped! No doubt if people could park in the lobby, they would.

What is the trade-off for the misuse of the automobile? The opportunity to walk is lost. Walking is great for cardiovascular conditioning and weight control (which translates into weight loss for a great majority of people.) America is already a nation of overfed and under exercised people.

In countries where cars are owned by the wealthy few, people walk much more than we do here in America. Americans average less than a mile a day whereas people in other nations average several miles. No wonder we are a nation of overweight and obese individuals with bulging waist lines. We are eating more (mostly the wrong kinds of foods) and exercising less.

I recently had to leave my Ford Explorer at a body shop for repairs to the rear bumper. When I left my truck at the shop, I was asked if I needed a ride home. I said �no.� The attendant then asked me if I was sure. I said �yes,� I was sure. This body shop is about 1/2 mile from where I live. I could easily have gotten a ride home.

God has a plan for each and every one of us. That plan can only be completely fulfilled when we are physically capable of performing it.

How could the apostle Paul have fulfilled his mission if he was overweight, and couldn�t walk a couple of miles without doubling over from exhaustion and pain? What if his body suffered from high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or other crippling medical problems brought on by lack of exercise and poor eating habits? He probably would have died prematurely before establishing all of the churches we read about in the New Testament portion of the Bible!

In saying all of this I am not minimizing the importance of the automobile. It is a necessity in today�s society. I would be the first to admit it. But at the same time no one should allow it to deprive the body of the exercise it needs. Remember the adage 'use it or lose it?' Well it's true. Unused or under utilized muscles will atrophy and grow weak.
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Healthy living > Lifestyle > Walking